Frequently Asked Questions

A. We fund both academic institutions (including non-profit research centers) as well as for-profit biotechnology companies.

Q. Does the foundation fund internationally?

A. Yes.

Q.How large are the funded grants and how long are they for?

A. Academic drug discovery grants average $150,000 per year for up to two years, and the biotechnology grants average $200,000-$300,000 per year for up to two years. Budgets are carefully reviewed along with the corresponding work plan and applicants may be asked to revise their budgets during the review process. Grant requests for clinical trials can be up to $1.5 million. CAPA Consortium grants may request a budget up to $100,000 for one year.

Q.What is the application process?

A. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) through our online system in order to create a record and provide a preliminary overview of the project. LOIs are typically reviewed internally. If within the scope of our funding priorities, the applicant will receive an e-mail with an invitation to submit a full proposal. Application instructions will be provided, as well as forms for the work plan, budget, and biographical sketch, and other required materials. Biotechnology applications require additional materials. Applications are then reviewed internally or externally by our Scientific Review Board (SRB) members.

A.LOIs are accepted on a rolling basis, but must be submitted at least two weeks before the full proposal deadline to be considered for that cycle. However, for CAPA Consortium proposals, LOIs were due in November 2014 in advance of the full application deadline on March 5, 2015.

For 2015, the proposal deadlines are March 10, June 16, September 22, and December 10. Proposals must be electronically submitted via the ADDF website by 11:59 pm ET on the day of the deadline. Proposals submitted afterwards will be reviewed in the next cycle.

Q. Can renewal grants or follow-on funding be considered?

A. Yes. However, each applicant must submit a new grant proposal. The foundation cannot make any guarantees on funding for the second year as it depends on our budgets and other grants we are funding.

Q. Can I reapply with a proposal that was not selected for funding?

A. Yes. However, you will need to submit a new grant proposal that includes your reponse to the reviewer critiques of the previously submitted grant proposal.

Q.When should I expect to hear the outcome of my application?

A. We make every effort to notify applicants within 90 days of the proposal deadline, and to provide useful feedback from the reviewers.

Q. If my application is approved for funding, when will my grant start?

A. The earliest start date is typically the 1st day of the 4th month after the deadline. This date can be revised at a later time if needed if the application is selected for funding.

Q.How many times can I apply in one calendar year?

A. Applicants can apply for each review cycle, but cannot have more than one application per review.

II. Letters of Intent:

Q. Do I need to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) before submitting a full proposal?

A. Yes, we require that you submit an LOI. After a preliminary review of your LOI, if we find that your research fits with our current funding priorities, we will invite you to submit a full application.

Q. If I submit an LOI for a proposal deadline, but cannot finish my application in time, will I need to submit a new LOI for the next deadline?

A. No, you do not need to submit a new LOI for the next deadline, unless the proposed work has changed. However, we only keep an LOI open in our system for one additional proposal deadline. After two missed deadlines, the LOI is removed from our system and you will need to resubmit an LOI for the following deadline.

III. Completing Your Application:

Q. How long should the body of the application be?

A. The body of the application should be no longer than 10 pages of written text. This does not include figures, other support, or references.

Q.Can figures be included in the body of the application, or should they be presented in a separate appendix?

A. The figures may be included in the body or as a seperate appendix. The figures will not be counted toward the page limit.

Q. Is there a salary limit?

A. Please adhere to NIH salary cap guidelines.

Q.Is there a page limit on the biographical sketch/CV?

A. No.

Q. Who should I include biographical sketches for?

A. We require biographical sketches for the key personnel on the grant, such as the PIs and co-PIs. We do not need the CVs of administrative contacts or research support.

Q. What information should I include for the co-PIs?

A. For the co-PIs, include a biographical sketch, a description of the significant contributor’s role on the project in the budget justification, and if they are requesting a salary, the co-PIs’ other support and percent effort so we can determine possible overlap.

Q.What should I include in the “Affiliations” section on the biosketch form?

Q. Can I still submit my application if IACUC/IRB approval is pending?

A. Yes. Confirmation of IACUC/IRB approval is only necessary prior to releasing the first grant payment, if the proposal is selected for funding. You may make a note of the pending approval on your application.

Q. If I am applying for a two-year grant, do I need to submit a budget and workplan for each year?

A. Yes. We require that you submit a separate budget and workplan for each year of requested funding.

Q. If my application is a resubmission, do I need to include any additional information?

A. Yes. Please include a written response to the reviewers’ comments from the original application. This can be uploaded as an Appendix.

Q.How do I upload multiple Appendix items?

A. You do not need to put the appendix items into one document. The system will let you upload multiple individual documents for this section.

IV. Biotechnology Applications:

Q. How many years of financial statements are required?

A. We require at least the statements from the last completed year.

Q.What do you mean by annual budget?

A. We are typically interested in a basic operating budget / projection of revenue and expenses for the current year.

Q.How current should the Capitalization Table be?

A. As recent as available.

Q. How much information do you need for the “Description of investors to date”?

A. The “Description of investors to date” can simply be a list of individuals/organization names and amounts. This section can also include other revenue sources, such as foundations, government funding agencies, etc.

Q. What do we do if we do not have any of the documents you are asking for?

A. Please upload a brief explanation in place of the required document.